TOP DRESSING
Seeding the green future
t isn ’ t just Grounds Manager
I Nigel Harvey who has moved from the Stanley Park
Training Ground to the main Stadium pitch of Forest Green Rovers FC – his Johnsons Sports Seed programme has made the switch too ! Having used Johnsons mixtures for near-on 15 years , the club ’ s renowned eco and environmentally friendly approach means the combination of J Premier Pitch and J 4Turf will become Nigel ’ s main weapon in the fight against weed ingress and disease .
Nigel moved from Forest Green ’ s training facility to take up his new position at The New Lawn Ground in June 2020 , which he maintains alongside a recently appointed apprentice . “ The maintenance methods are very different between the training ground and the stadium , with fewer conventional tools and techniques at my disposal in the approach we take to issues such as weed and disease control ” he explains . After being described by FIFA as ‘ the greenest football club in the world ’ and becoming the first UN certified carbon-neutral football club , it ’ s out with chemicals and in with cultural practices - including regular overseeding .
“ Johnsons J Premier Pitch has proven itself to deliver fantastic resistance to disease , great appearance and plant strength at our training ground and at many of the country ’ s other leading sports venues , so achieving that is going to be key moving forwards in maintaining surface quality and health at the stadium .” One of Nigel ’ s first projects was a major drainage installation programme , the recovery from which saw 20 bags of J Premier Pitch oversown on The New Lawn pitch .
38 GroundskeepingJournal . co . uk | Spring 2021